Feminist News

Beatriz Will Undergo C-Section To Save Her Life

Beatriz, a woman from El Salvador who was denied a lifesaving abortion by the Supreme Court, will undergo a C-Section to end the pregnancy that is threatening her life.

Last week, the Supreme Court of El Salvador denied Beatriz's appeal to undergo an abortion to save her life. Despite suffering multiple severe medical conditions and the fetus being unviable, the court ruled that "rights of the mother cannot take precedence over those of the unborn child or vice versa." Abortion in El Salvador is illegal in all circumstances with a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. After the ruling, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a non-binding resolution ordering El Salvador to save Beatriz's life.

The Health Ministry then ordered her doctors to perform a premature C-section, which the fetus is not expected to survive. Health Minister Maria Rodriguez told reporters, "It is very clear at this time that the pregnancy intervention is not an abortion, it is an induced birth, which is something else." The surgery is planned for some time this week.

In a phone interview, Beatriz told Reuters, "I feel good because next week they will perform (a Caesarean). Right now, the doctors have not told me anything, but I believe everything will work out fine."